In total shade in a back border my sister discovered this small blooming tree. There are a few of them close together here in NW IN. We think it's a locust of some sort but hoping for a more definitive identification. Sis had issues getting a decent photo and they turned out pretty grainy.

Wow - I never would have thought of wisteria. It's growing pretty much upright with no support although you can't see that from the picture. My dad (who's now gone) might have planted it but he was always about keeping the wild stuff. The flower color is pretty close but does wisteria have hairy stems?

Our American Wisteria has much longer bloom clusters than that. Are you sure that's it? The American Wisteria won't stand on its own like that without support. My dad's has been attached to a support for 5 years and still won't stay up without support.

clintbrown said:Our American Wisteria has much longer bloom clusters than that. Are you sure that's it? The American Wisteria won't stand on its own like that without support. My dad's has been attached to a support for 5 years and still won't stay up without support.

bamira did not say that it was American Wisteria, only offering a suggestion as a possibility. But I agree with you that it is not American Wisteria.

Boy, those stems on the plants in the links sure look the same. I do know that it wasn't planted recently and has probably been there for years - just never saw it in bloom before. While it's located in oak/hickory woodland, we're only 20 miles or so from the IN dunes where it's considered an invasive. I'd say the height of the tree is probably around 8 to 10 feet. Or it's possible my dad dug it up down around the Kankakee River where he had property.
Should I consider this one solved?

Thanks for the link, Frilly. I'll get dizzy checking out all of the pics. I never thought that a locust could bloom so beautifully.
I did email the links for the bristly locust to my sister so she can check it against the actual tree but I think we've got a match. Has to be a native of some sort as my dad would never spend the money on shrubs, trees or perennials.